In this edition... vice, steins, and longhorns
Pursuit of Apple-ness
(10/08) Belgrave Music Hall & Canteen have announced their third Cider & Pie Festival, taking place this August Bank Holiday Sunday. They'll be offering over 60 pies, pasties, sausage rolls, and vegetarian options from award-winning butchers and bakers including Voakes, Wilson's Butchers, Lishman's of Ilkley, and J.Lord and Sons, as well as 20 boxed and bottled ciders, and a selection of ales. Entry is free, and the fun kicks off at 11am. Keep an eye on Leeds Confidential next week, when we'll be bringing you a complete guide to the Bank Holiday weekend.
Eyes Down at The Botanist
(09/08) City centre pub The Botanist is hosting a bingo night next Sunday, with a bit of a twist.
Combining bingo with Buzzcocks, the numbers will be replaced by short bursts of popular songs past and present, covered by the pub's house musician. Listen out for songs sung by the artists on your game card, and you can win a bunch of prizes including Leeds First Direct Arena tickets. The games start at 8pm and entry is free, to book a table get in touch with The Botanist on 0113 205 3240.
Vice & Virtue Restaurant Launch Announced
(08/08) Following the subsequent opening of its cocktail bar towards the end of last year, a date has been set for the opening of Vice & Virtue restaurant. The new venture from award-winning chef/proprietor Luke Downing, of Dough Bistro, is set to open on September 10th in the New Briggate lot opposite Belgrave Music Hall.
With a seasonal, daily-changing tasting menu of five, eight or ten courses based on seasonality, with wine, ale and cocktail pairing, V&V will bring a touch of fine-dining sophistication to the burgeoning top-end of town (or 'Northern Quarter' if you absolutely insist) which currently boasts casual-dining hotspots like The Reliance, Brunswick and The Swine That Dines.
Oktoberfest Comes to Leeds
(06/08) If you’re one of the hundreds of people who queued for hours to get into the Bier-Keller at the German Christmas market (which isn’t due to return this year), you’ll be delighted to know that a new event is set to fill that stein-shaped hole in your life. Between Thursday 6th and Sunday 9th October, The Tetley will play host to Leeds’ very first full-scale Oktoberfest. The 2000-capacity tent will serve Erdinger and a specially-brewed haus bier in custom souvenir steins. Traditional Bavarian food such as Bratwurst, Brezel and Hendl will be on offer, plus a German Oompah band will be on hand to provide the soundtrack. Ticket start at £10, and can be ordered now from www.oktoberfestleeds.com
Leeds Beer Week Announces Beer Awards
(04/08) Leeds, quite rightfully, can’t stop patting itself on the back at the minute, as the organisers of Leeds Beer Week have announced the inaugural Leeds Beer Week Awards. Nominations are being accepted now, and the shortlist will be announced when the festival begins on August 28th. Categories include 'Best Leeds Brewery', 'Best Beers' (cask, keg and packaged)' and 'Best Venue' amongst others. To have your say, head over to the awards section of LBW’s website.
So-Long Longhorns: Head of Steam Kitchen Changes Hands
(03/08) It’s all change in the kitchen of Mill Hill’s Head of Steam, as Longhorns BBQ’s residency comes to an end (they’ll still be running the kitchen over at Head of Steam’s Headingley venue though). They’re being replaced by Hull burger-slingers KerbEdge - a regular at local food events and a several-time veteran of Trinity Kitchen, for whom Leeds is a home away from home. We reckon they’ll fit right in at Head of Steam when their residency begins on Monday 15th August. If that wasn’t good enough news, they’re also running a competition on their Facebook page to give you the chance to win burgers and beers for four lucky people.
New Leeds Awards Ceremony: Nominations Announced
(03/08) A new awards ceremony is taking place this year which celebrates the best names in Leeds lifestyle. The appropriately titled Leeds Lifestyle Awards, in association with regional digital TV network Made In Leeds, will take place on 5 October 2016 at the Royal Armouries, with a number of awards spanning the best in fashion and beauty, events and leisure, as well as food and drink.
The four food and drink categories; Best Coffee Shop, Restaurant, Bar and Pub reveal some glaring omissions (Roots & Fruits have been nominated for best coffee but there's no sign of Opposite or Laynes) and bizarre face-offs (Michelin-starred Man Behind The Curtain must be quaking in its boots being up against Almost Famous’ fried egg and Cheerio burger in 'Best Restaurant' category) Some of our favourite places get well-deserved recognition, including Bundobust, Northern Monk, Pintura, Bottega Milanese and Kirkstall Bridge Inn.
Full categories and nominees here
Cash, Beer and Pizza Reward
(02/08) It wasn’t a very happy birthday for Chapel Allerton’s The Woods this weekend, as takings from their first birthday party on Saturday were taken from the property overnight. This makes the second robbery from a Chapel Allerton business in less than twelve months, following December’s armed-robbery at neighbours The Mustard Pot.
The Woods took to their Facebook page to break the news and make an appeal:
'We had a fantastic first birthday on Saturday. The garden was looking very pretty, the balcony was bustling, the beer flowing, the pizzas were flying, the swing band was swinging and everyone was frolicking in the summer sun! It was really lovely to see so many of our regulars who have become good friends and so many new faces who are hearing about how good The Woods is! Unfortunately, on Saturday morning we were broken into. The thieves got away with some very hard earned money.'
They’re offering a £2,000 reward - plus beer and pizza - to anybody who can provide information that helps lead the police to convict the burglars.
'If you have a business close to The Woods that may have CCTV we would be very grateful if you could check. Harrogate Road, Stainbeck Road, anywhere really in the near vicinity. The crime happened at 3.45am, these guys had ladders so they must have been seen by someone and been around the area for a good hour.'
Anyone with information about the break-in is asked to call police via 101, quoting crime reference 13160326878.
Restaurant Plans for Historic City Centre Lot
(01/08) Initial plans have been submitted for 14-22 Lands Lane - which you may know as the building that recently housed Miss Selfridge, Evans and Wallis - to be converted into a new restaurant development.
Built in 1922 and initially used as the SCALA Theatre (pictured below), the 19,400 sq ft, four-storey space is being eyed up by Aberdeen Asset Management, who are seeking licensing permission to use the venue for food and drink. Whether the plans are for one restaurant or a larger, multi-business complex is unclear, although the latter seems more likely, taking into account the size of the place.
With the recent development at Trinity Leeds and Leeds Arena quarter, as well as the upcoming Victoria Gate bringing in the big-money restaurants, should we start to be concerned about the sustainability of Leeds’ independents in the face of large-scale competition?
